Fragmented
by natashasurgirl
Summary: After only a year of marriage, the spark between Darien and Serena has disappeared. With Serena believing Darien no longer loves her, she seeks a relationship elsewhere. Meanwhile, Darien is desperate to save his marriage and prove his love to his now unfaithful wife. Will love truly conquer all or will Darien have to give up and mend his broken heart? A/U
1. Chapter 1

**Fragmented**

**By Natasha Conley**

_After only a year of marriage, the spark between Darien and Serena has disappeared. With Serena believing Darien no longer loves her, she seeks a relationship elsewhere. Meanwhile, Darien is desperate to save his marriage and prove his love to his now unfaithful wife. Will love truly conquer all or will Darien have to give up and mend his broken heart?_

**Chapter One**

Spaghetti stains covered white ceramic dishes, spoiled formula soaked into plastic baby bottles on the kitchen counters, making them rancid forever. The silver sink piled high with stainless steel pots and pans. Any guest who surprised Serena Shields with a visit would have thought she was trying to build a new Mount Fuji in her kitchen with chocolate ice cream containers, pizza boxes and takeout bags.

The dining room wasn't any better...paperwork piled up to the top, almost reaching the ceiling, or at least, that's how it felt to her. An assortment of bills, unsent thank you letters from a year prior, and medical information for a two month old daughter that was never sorted into the filing cabinet fanned out on the dining room chairs. Dust bunnies collected in the corners of the floor where they hadn't been vacuumed or swept since the birth.

Serena sighed as she gazed from the living room at the mess of things she still needed to do in between caring for her clingy baby while juggling her college courses at the academy.

Her young, pink haired child suckled at a bottle Serena had placed into her mouth. With large red eyes, Rini stared at her mother while she inhaled her milk.

"Your daddy will be home soon." The young mother whispered as she poked her baby's little button nose.

Serena groaned as she looked at the catastrophe around her. She knew her husband, Darien, wouldn't be very happy with her. Ever since Rini came, she hadn't been able to keep the house neat, or focus on doing the extra little things he wanted her to do. Things had changed so much, and at the time she wasn't sure how to take care of everything. She was overwhelmed as a new mom and felt incapable of being the perfect wife Darien had expected her to be.

With so much to do, Serena protested by blowing out a puff of hot air, aimed directly at her disheveled, unwashed bangs, causing them to soar up and stick in place. "Ewww." Serena pulled her bangs back down with disgust. She frowned at the bundle in her arms and said. "Mommy needs a shower."

Rini released the plastic in her mouth, and looked quizzically at her mom, her lips shaped in the form of an O the size of a pinky. Almost as if to ask what a shower was, but of course not able to speak or even wonder the question in the first place. That didn't bother Serena though, she simply laughed at the wide-eyed child and said, "Of course you don't know what a shower is. You're just a baby!"

…

Darien's heart was beating slowly as he began to drift off to sleep at his desk yet again. His face squished into the files he had just a few minutes ago been writing symptoms on for his newer patient, James Martinez. When drool began to pool onto the paper, Darien was awoken by a loud slam on his desk.

"Hey, Shields!" A blonde man called out cheerfully above Darien, smacking his hands against the wooden desk. He was annoyingly optimistic, and painfully cheerful for a man who had also been awake, working for the last eighteen hours straight right alongside Darien.

Darien blinked his eyes again and again, trying to focus his eyes on the blurry Andrew, his new coworker, and apparently new best friend.

Andrew had joined the field only a couple months prior, having just left university with a doctorate's degree. When he joined the hospital, Darien had felt wary, not only because of the man's chirpiness, reminding the dark haired doctor of his incredibly perky wife, but because Darien just couldn't understand how you possibly could be so happy with sick and dying people surrounding you. Okay, so maybe it was the chirpiness, but still...

The life of a doctor wasn't necessarily a happy one. Especially in his field. Repeating the same apology speech to the families of patients who had passed on the night before was wearing Darien down. Looking at the heartbroken mothers, wives, fathers, sons, and daughters... There were days when Darien simply didn't want to wake up in the morning to go to work. He had decided to be a surgeon in hopes that he would save lives, but it seemed like more often than not, he ended them instead. Or maybe that's just how it felt because the euphoria of saving a life ended a lot more quickly than the guilt of ending one by mistake.

Then there was the pure exhaustion he felt. Every night, after having little to no sleep, and working all day and night long, he would have to help at home. Knowing that he just wanted to spend time with his wife and daughter, he just wished he could relax before he may have to get called in again, just like that. Darien was exhausted, and any opportunity he could get to doze off on the couch in his office was warmly welcomed. No matter how cramped his space seemed to be at times with the desk, the filing cabinets, the chairs, and couch; he couldn't help but fall asleep at any free moment.

"Dar, you gotta wake up man." Andrew tousled his hair, and laughed at his tired coworker. "You've got to splash some water on your face or something, we've got that surgery in like half an hour."

"Yeah, yeah." Darien grumbled, rubbing his face with his hands. He looked up at Andrew and then at the water cooler in the corner of his office, right next to the window showing off Tokyo's downtown view. "Grab me a cup, would ya?"

"Sure thing." Andrew strolled towards the cooler, grabbed a tiny plastic cup, and proceeded to turn the knob to fill it with water. When he placed the water filled dish on Darien's desk, he grinned widely. "So, are you looking forward to the Christmas party? Will I finally get to meet this Serena you're always talking about?"

"Yeah." Darien gratefully nodded to Andrew before drinking the water. It felt cool and refreshing going down his throat. "Well, if she can make it. She's usually got classes on the weekends and has her mom watch Rini."

"Classes?" Andrew's curiosity perked up, what could Darien's wife need a college degree for? After all, she was a stay at home mom with a husband who could afford nearly everything she could possibly need or want. That was why his friend was working so hard after all, to provide for her. "What's she going for?"

Darien smiled, reaching for the photo on his desk of his beautiful blue-eyed, blonde wife wearing a long white wedding gown. Although she was smiling brightly at the camera, her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, clutching on to him tight, refusing to let go. In the picture all he could focus on was her. Nothing made him happier in that moment than to know that Serena was happy to be his wife. She was everything he had ever wanted.

Then his mind focused on Andrew's question. He thought of Serena's artwork all over the living room furniture and on her desk in the study. Her digital art, her homework assignments, her drawings, all the video game ideas…

"She wants to create video games for girls." Darien answered.

Andrew's eyes widened. His nephew, Derrick, was a huge gamer, enjoying games like Halo and World of Warcraft, not to mention League of Legends. Then there were the classics like Diablo 2, and all the old Sega and Nintendo games he was constantly going on about. There was one thing Andrew had learned from his thirteen year old nephew and that was, "Girls don't play video games unless they are ugly, dude."

Darien scoffed. He picked up another picture of Serena laying on her side in the sand from their last vacation on the beach, before she was pregnant with Rini. Serena was trying to look seductive, and was quite successful at doing so in her tiny black bikini. Darien handed the picture to Andrew and asked, "Does my wife look ugly to you?"

"I believe that question, my friend, is a double edged sword." Andrew answered, a laugh quickly following.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, Drew." Darien laughed alongside Andrew, taking his picture back and returning it to his desk.

Realization hit Darien suddenly. "Did you say we have another surgery? I was supposed to fill this paperwork out and spend the evening with my wife!"

"Sorry, man." Andrew frowned, putting a reassuring hand on Darien's shoulder. "The guy needs surgery for his heart. We can't put it off any longer. You're already here. I thought you were beeped. You were called first, like half an hour ago."

Darien looked begrudgingly at his beeper. There were three missed messages on it. "I must've slept through it." Darien groaned. Maybe he _had_ slept longer than a few minutes then...

He thought of all the things he had wanted to pick up for Serena on the way home. A stuffed bunny, chocolates, even a golden necklace with a heart shaped pendant that said Mom on it...but all of that would have to wait, because now Darien wouldn't be getting off work at seven. The malls would all be closed when he got off.

And when he got home, Darien would have a very angry wife to answer to.

Darien put his face in his hands for a moment to console himself, then proceeded to get out his office chair. While glaring at his desk, Darien said, "Let's just get this over with so I can go home."

…

With Rini settled down after finishing her milk, Serena quietly began to put together a list in her mind of the things she needed to do before Darien got home. Of course there was the obvious. Make dinner, clean up the kitchen, take a quick shower, but the question wasn't so much what to do as it was what can she actually get done before Rini wakes up again.

"Hm…" Serena skipped through her hallway to grab the phone on the other side of the kitchen wall. There were so many choices for dinner, so long as she was willing to answer the door in about half an hour. What was she in the mood for? Greasy burgers with cheese melting under a bun, or sub sandwiches? Maybe some stir fry?

"Pizza." Serena concluded, putting the black device up to her ear and reaching for a take out menu from a kitchen drawer.

After ordering Darien's favorite, because truthfully, she didn't care so long as it was pizza, she began to work on her list. Serena switched the wet clothes in the washing machine over to the dryer before hopping into the shower. She scrubbed her body from head to toe, washing every crook and cranny, perfuming her hair with a green apple shampoo. The shower was such a simple and basic need, but it was the best feeling she had experienced in nearly a week. In there, Serena knew she could soak and cleanse away all her troubles. She could simply forget about the baby, the chores, and even her homework assignments for a good ten minutes.

A wail shattered the silence in the apartment, pushing Serena to wash all the soap out of her hair as quickly as possible. She sighed, knowing that unless she was at school, she wouldn't get anything done for a while. Stressed and tired, she turned the hot water off, stepping out of the glassed in area as steam followed behind her, fogging up the mirrors.

Another cry echoed through the halls.

"I'm coming, Rini." Serena called from the restroom, pulling a dark purple towel off the hanging rod built into the wall. She wrapped the towel around her chest, tucking an edge in between the front of her breasts. She took another towel to hold her golden locks in. Quickly, she raced out of the restroom and into Rini's bedroom.

Rini's cries pierced Serena's ears again as she pulled her emotional daughter from the crib. She held the baby against her chest, letting the child rest her head on her shoulders as the tears continued to fall.

"There, there." She consoled her child, rubbing the girl's back. "Mommy's here, you're okay."

The doorbell rang.

"Shit!"

Serena stomped her way to the front door, beyond frustrated. Turning the handle without a thought about decency, nor a care or concern about it, she smiled at the surprised pizza man.

The pizza guy stood in place, uncertain of what to say or do. Usually it was the larger men with nothing but briefs on that didn't seem to care that they were basically naked. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised that this sexy, and attractive blonde was showing off her near nudity. He couldn't help but feel slightly aroused, that was, until he noticed the baby.

"Uh…"

"Just hold on a moment, kay?" Serena smiled again at the man in the hall, turning to step into her living room to find her wallet.

Holding two pizza boxes in his hands, the man couldn't help but check out Serena's figure, watching her walk down the hall in what seemed like a seductive strut. He wiped a bead of drool away that had begun to form at the corner of his mouth. "Okay, ma'am."

'If there wasn't a baby, it'd be like a porno in the making!' the delivery man thought to himself. He waited patiently for Serena to fish the proper amount of paper bills out of her purse and place them into his hand as he ogled at her body. 'Darn kids!'

When they exchanged the money and pizzas, Serena thanked him, waving goodbye, and shut the door with her foot. Her hands were overfilled with meat lover's pizzas and her young one. Rini was content so long as she was in her mommy's arms, able to listen to the heartbeats beating against her mother's chest.

Serena dropped the purse on the living room floor, and sat on the couch, bending over to put the pizzas down beside her. Now all she had to do was get dressed and wait for Darien, because it was clear that she wouldn't be able to get anything done that day. She still had a pile of math assignments waiting for her in the study, due in just two days.

Stretching an arm out above her head, Serena turned and looked down at Rini. She admired her little girl, the sole creation of her and Darien's love for each other. With every coo, Serena felt her stress melt away.

Buzz.

Serena looked at the clock on the wall, and smiled knowing that Darien must be calling her to ask if she needed anything on his way home from work. It had been a week of late nights for him, and he promised today he would be home by eight o'clock. She knew he would keep his promise because today was their 5 year anniversary.

She picked up her Iphone off of the end table with her free hand, using her thumb to swipe the little bar to unlock her phone. One text message showed up from Darien that made her once happy face fall.

"I'll be late, so please don't wait up."

_Hey all! So, this is my new chapter fic. Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing The Second Chance, and please know that I will be updating the story soon. In other news, I've fractured my spine and I'm unable to do anything besides sit and sleep really, so I am actually serious when I say I'll be updating my stories more often. There's only so many computer games you can play before you get bored! Many hugs to you all! -Natasha_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: First of all, thank you to all of my reviewers for the first chapter of the story! Artemis630, devilsangels11287, CynDLou12, and mryann, you shall recieve many digital hugs! *Squish* I also hope that I get better, thank you for the good wishes! Now onto Chapter 2 of Fragmented! -Natasha_

**Fragmented**

**By Natasha Conley**

**Chapter 2**

Serena felt as tears dropped from her dampened eyes. She continued to stare at the screen of her phone. She was shocked that not only had he missed their one year wedding anniversary last month, but that he had chosen his work over their relationship again! On today of all days! When it was the five year mark of the day that he told her loved her. On the day they had first become a couple. Darien had said all those years ago that no one and nothing was more important to him than her.

"It was all a lie." Serena concluded under her breath. Carefully she placed her daughter onto the floor, her body shaking. First she had been sad, but now Serena wanted nothing more than to shriek, to cry, and let all the pent up frustration out.

Rini started to twist and turn her tiny body on the floor, tossing her legs and arms into the air. Her face contorted into a cry from the lost comfort of her mother's warmth. But Serena didn't care.

Phone in hand, she stood up. Rini was crying, and Darien was late on the only day she truly needed him to be there for her. To just show her that he actually gave a damn. Now it was clear to her that he really didn't.

"I HATE THIS!"

She tossed her phone across the room, watching as it hit the mirror and shattered the wall hanging into little shards of glass. The glass flew all over the place, landing everywhere besides Serena and her daughter. Her chest raised up and down in a fast, erratic rhythm as she tried to control her breathing.

Rini's cries surrounded Serena.

Serena felt as though she was on the brink of insanity. It was all the poor girl could hear as she tried to come to grips with her emotions. She wanted to punch a wall, she wanted to throw her child across the room out of anger. Serena wouldn't though. She was so frustrated with the fact that she couldn't just put her baby down without the kid freaking out. It was especially worse when she needed to take a break.

Feeling she could not safely compose herself in order to hold her little girl, Serena slid slowly to the ground. Sobs of sheer frustration escaped from her throat. Serena let the tears flow down while she held her face in her hands, listening to the baby as she cried from the other side of the living room.

…

He stood on the other side of the door, scared silly to enter his own apartment. He couldn't stop thinking about all the mistakes he'd made over the years in order to build his reputation as a doctor. All the birthdays, dinners, and anniversaries he'd missed.

Darien listened through the wood to see if there was any reaction to worry about if he entered through the door. He heard nothing. There was no indication from outside the apartment to show any immediate consequences for the choice he'd made three hours previously.

Taking a deep breath, Darien turned the key to the door and let himself in.

The poor doctor wasn't ready for the mess in his apartment. He was used to the garbage, the dishes, and even the clutter, but the shattered glass surprised him. It was dangerous.

He furled his eyebrows, anger building in his chest as he rushed into the living room to see if there had been a break in. He felt the urge to protect, to defend his family and things, but was relieved to walk in on Serena eating the last slice of dinner instead.

"Well, hi there, honey." Serena said, smirking as she popped the last piece of pepperoni in her mouth.

Darien curled his fists, squeezing them tight before releasing them again. Serena wanted to argue, and understandably so, but he wasn't in the mood at nearly eleven in the evening. Instead, he just walked away, heading towards their bedroom.

"What?" Serena asked, standing herself up, and stomping towards him. "No, 'Happy Anniversary, honey'? No, 'I'm sorry for not showing up, yet again'?"

"I'm sorry, honey." Darien stopped to turns towards her, feeling tired and wary. "Now I'm going to go to sleep."

Serena slammed the wall with her hand, feeling her eyes well up, but held her tears back. She didn't want him to see her cry. He didn't deserve that satisfaction. At least that's how she thought he saw things when she cried.

But Darien noticed her expression, and every heart string that was still intact broke. He didn't know what to do. After all, he couldn't just leave his job, could he? Darien had to support his wife and daughter. He needed to pay for the mortgage and Serena's college courses. He couldn't just stop doing his job for one day. If he had chosen to come home, the man that he saved could have died. There were so many reasons, but he knew she wouldn't hear them.

So, he said nothing.

"Darien, you don't care at all," Serena said under her breath. She glared at him. "All you care about is your job. As long as you get to do what you love, it doesn't matter how it affects anyone else. You're so selfish!"

Darien had to say something now. "That's not true, I care about you,"

Serena laughed, mocking him as she continued on. "Yeah, okay. You care so much about me that you never notice anything that I do to try to make you happy. You're never around to notice!"

Don't say anything, his mind screamed, but his mouth went autopilot on him. His feelings bubbled up and boiled over.

"Serena, this house is trashed!" Darien hollered. "All I want you to do to make me happy is clean our house and take care of our daughter! You can't even seem to handle that! So, why should I do the things you want me to do?"

It was getting harder for Serena to hold the tears back. She felt like she was going to crack, but instead, she turned to face the wall and bite her lower lip. This method didn't really work all the time, but so far it was working, or at least, right now it was.

"I just want you to be home, Darien."

"Well, why would I want to be home with a woman who acts like a total bitch whenever I'm around?" He asked. "Honestly, why would anyone want to come home to that?"

Darien knew he had won the fight. He knew Serena would break down and let him go to sleep now. He just wanted the argument to be over with. Darien wanted to win it for once. He was sick of feeling like he was just the bad guy and not the hero to the only woman he'd ever loved. She made him feel like a heartless monster when everything he did, he did for her.

One watery tear fell from her eyelashes, sliding down her cheek. She glared at him. He didn't want to be home because of her, the thought rung through her mind continuously, like it would never stop. She felt like someone was stabbing her in the stomach again and again. Butterflies flew from her stomach and into her lungs, suffocating her as the creatures tried to escape.

They were silent, looking at each other, waiting for the other to apologize. Expecting for the other to admit to being wrong, but of course that didn't happen. They were both too strong-willed for that.

Finally, Serena whispered, "Then I'll leave."

Darien's eyes widened.

"No." Darien said, grabbing her arms, squeezing them with his large hands. "No, you can't leave me."

"Let go, Darien." Serena said coldly. "I would hate to keep you from staying in your own house."

Instead of releasing her from his hold, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pressed her against him, refusing to let go. "Please. Serena, please stay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

Serena rolled her eyes. "Of course you meant it, otherwise you wouldn't have said it."

"I'll do anything." Darien pleaded. "Just stay with me."

Serena slipped out of his grasp. She ignored as his face fell even further. She grabbed a suitcase from their master closet, and began tossing clothes into it.

Darien didn't know what to do or how to fix this. He couldn't force her to stay. She would have to take Rini because he had to pay for the bills. He had to work.

Darien felt hopeless. He sat on the couch, trying to keep his emotions in check.

When Serena came out of Rini's room, with bags and his baby in tow, Darien's heart broke. He asked one more time. "Please?"

"Darien, don't. I can't live like this anymore. I need some space." Her voice was unwavering. She spoke the words with a finality that made him realize she was not going to change her mind.

He cried. He couldn't hold back anymore, and his nose began to run. His cheeks became soaked. "Serena, are you leaving me?"

She thought for a moment, brushing the baby's hair with her fingers before saying, "No."

"Where are you going?"

"Raye's."

Darien asked his final question. "When will you be back?"

She rolled the suitcase to the front door, and opened it to let herself out. The seconds turned to hours while Darien waited for his answer. When he heard it, his heart died.

"I don't know."

_I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Please, let me know! I'd love to hear your feedback! Until next time! -Natasha_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I told myself that I was going to work on The Second Chance first, but honestly, when you start a new story, you get all excited and want to dive right into it. The Second Chance's next chapter is in the works. In the meantime enjoy another installment of 'Fragmented'._

_A quick thank you to CynDLou12, Devilsangels11287, Artemis630, and guest for reviewing the last chapter. Also, thank you to those who added the story to their community, favorites, and follows! Hugs to all! -Natasha_

**Chapter 3**

Raye groaned when she was awoken by the sound of loud knocking at her door at one in the morning. She rolled over, hiding into her pillows. Maybe if she pretended not to wake up, the jerk roaming her entryway would get the hint and go away.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The plan didn't exactly pan out.

Raye groggily climbed out of bed, rubbing her eyes as she reached for her silky red robe to wrap herself in. Whoever it was at the door did not need to see her in her lacy underwear.

While unlocking the door so she could peek out and see who it was, she asked in a pessimistic tone, "Who the hell do you think you-?"

Raye stopped in mid-sentence, surprised to see her best friend, Serena, standing there. Her facial features softened when she noticed Serena's sad face. Serena's nose was pink, her eyes red, and Rini was bundled in a blanket, spread across Serena's shoulder, fast asleep. The exhausted girl opened the door wide, making room for her clearly upset friend to walk in.

"I'm sorry, Raye." Serena said. She wiped her eyes with her free hand. "Can I stay here for a little while?"

"Of course you can!" Raye reassured Serena, waving her emotionally taxed friend in. She grabbed Serena's suitcase, pulling it into the apartment as Serena followed behind. "What happened? Did you and Darien get into a fight?"

"Can we talk about it later, Raye?" Serena asked, sitting on the couch, wondering how sleeping arrangements were going to work in the one bedroom apartment. "Rini won't sleep for very long, and if I'm planning on being awake tomorrow…"

"I get it. Let me get you some pillows and blankets, okay?"

Serena nodded her head, indifferent to her friend's kindness at that moment. She wondered if she would even be able to sleep. All she could think about was how her and Darien's five year anniversary had gone so dreadfully wrong. She wondered what he was thinking right now. Was he feeling the pain she was feeling? Did he feel like a porcupine had just rolled around in his heart, leaving needles pierced in every inch? Did he feel like his entire stomach had gone completely numb?

She certainly felt that way.

When Raye returned with an red-orange blanket and a matching pillow, Serena thanked her. She put the pillow at the end of the couch, and spread the blanket out, repositioning herself so that she was laying on her back. She held Rini, still sleeping, on the inside of the couch in her arms.

So long as Serena held her in her arms, Rini would be okay...

"Are you going to be able to sleep like that?" Raye asked, her arms crossing and uncrossing as she tried to make sure her friend was comfortable.

Serena looked up at Raye. She smiled sadly and replied, "I'm going to have to. There's no way I'm going back home!"

Raye frowned. What had happened that actually made Serena not want to be around her husband? Ever since they were fourteen all Serena wanted to do was be around Darien, and now? What could Darien possibly have done to make the perky blonde run away from him?

"Well, okay... Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"Then... I guess I'll see you in the morning?" Raye asked, slowly heading back towards her bedroom, thinking about the change in events. She shut her bedroom door behind her when she heard Serena say good night.

She hoped that whatever had happened between Serena and Darien would resolve itself in the morning. Serena had never been able to stay mad at her husband for very long anyways. That was her charm.

Serena was always forgiving.

…

Darien sat on the floor in front of the couch. He held one closed fist against his forehead while he looked at the mess around him. Tears clouded his eyes, his heart was heavy, and he felt so lost. So many fears haunted him. Thoughts of what Serena was planning to do. Separation? Divorce? He sucked in a breath, scared and overwhelmed by the idea of losing the only person he had ever loved since the death of his parents.

He had made mistakes, Darien knew that. How many times had he skipped out or cancelled last minute on birthday celebrations, holidays, and special meals she had made? How many times had he not noticed her dressed special in lingerie on his early nights off because he'd rather sleep? How often had he made her cry by simply not noticing her, by ignoring her?

Perhaps this was the final strike, the straw that had broken the camel's back.

'But what was I supposed to do? I never get to sleep!' Darien thought, picking himself up off of the floor. He looked at the time on the blu ray player. It was already a quarter after two. He would not be able to sleep after all of tonight's events. She was all that was on his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about how he had taken her presence for granted. How he had thought that the baby would make up for how he had rationed his time. That she would have to stay because of Rini.

No. He shouldn't have thought that at all. His career should have never become number one in his life. Had he ever really spent time with their daughter even? Maybe a couple times here and there, but Darien was always pushing Rini off on Serena or Serena's mother.

Darien shook his head, feeling remorse. He would do what he could to make everything up to his wife. He would show her that he could change. He would find ways to put his family first. There had to be a way that Darien could balance both family life and his career.

…

The silence in Raye's apartment the next morning was unnerving. For the first time in forever, Rini had slept through the night. Serena brushed Rini's pink hair behind her ear. She alternated between brushing her daughter's hair with her fingers and lightly stroking her cheeks. The fact that Rini had slept through the night laying on the couch in an apartment that wasn't even theirs...it bothered Serena. It was almost as if it were a sign that she and Darien shouldn't be together.

And yet, that made her angry. The idea of her and Darien breaking up, it tore Serena up in ways that she couldn't even begin to explain.

She dug her body deeper in the plush black couch, admiring the rows of magazines filling up shelf after shelf on the walls around her. Raye was going to school for fashion design, and you could tell from the piles of fabric next to the fashion magazines and the sewing booklets all over the room. A sewing machine sat on a table in the corner, a floor lamp which was bendable, pointed directly at the white contraption. On the other side of the living room, a shimmering sky blue dress rested on a mannequin. Sparkling blue seed beads were held in a glass jar with a sewing needle and thread matching the color of the dress lay on top of them.

Ironically, although Raye had only been in fashion school for a year at the time, she had been capable of making a wedding dress equal if not better to those at stores. Serena had paid for the fabric after she and Raye had designed her dress together.

She smiled at past memories of her and Raye arguing over the textures of fabrics and whether or not there was such thing as different shades of white. Raye usually won. Well, naturally, since Serena was into graphics, anime, and gaming. She wasn't the one obsessed with every difference in detail between faux silk and the real stuff. That was Raye's department.

Serena walked over to the new dress Raye had been working on. Upon closer look, Serena was able to see that the seed beads were actually not seed beads at all.

"They are called chalcedony." Raye piped up, leaning against her door in a short black dress that ended right above her knees. Pink roses patterned on the black fabric, pinching together where they met at the seam of her waist by a tan leather belt. "I thought they would match the dress pretty well."

"They do."

Raye walked over to the living room. She knew her apartment was small, so her living room had become her crafting room as well. With only six hundred square feet to spread across the dining room, living room, kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom, there was nowhere to hide from anyone else who may stay with her. It was easy to crowd such a small space, but for Serena, Raye was willing to deal with it.

When Raye sat next to Serena, she touched the fabric of the dress she had spent the last month putting together. "I'm on the last step. Sewing these gems into the waistline so it kind of looks like a ribbon made of jewels."

"It's so beautiful." Serena sighed, letting the satin fall from her fingers. "I wish I had your talent."

"Yeah, well I wish I had the patience to figure out all those configurations on the computer."

They laughed, but quickly hushed each other when Rini began to stir.

Finally, Raye asked, "What happened last night?"

Serena looked away, holding her daughter close to her. "Yesterday Darien was late from work again."

"He usually is." Raye said, not understanding the big deal. Darien is a surgeon, and not only that, but he works as one at a hospital that seems to get the biggest flow of people due to being smack down in the middle of Tokyo. "What made this time different?"

"Yesterday was the five year anniversary of when he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"Yeah, but it's not your wedding anniversary. Aren't you kind of overreacting?" Raye asked. She began threading the gems onto her current project.

Serena bit her lip before answering. "He completely forgot our wedding anniversary this year too."

Raye stopped sewing. She turned to her friend, her mouth wide open in shock.

"I just thought he'd remember this one like he did last year," Serena said. She shook her head, looking up at the ceiling. Anywhere but at Raye for fear that she might start crying again. "Raye, we don't even have sex anymore! Not since I got pregnant with Rini. He says he loves me, but I'm beginning to think he's seeing someone else."

"Are there any clues?" Raye asked. "Do you have any evidence?"

"No." Serena answered. "He just forgets all the important dates, he never comes home on time, and he never has time for me or Rini when he is there."

"Maybe he's not in love with you anymore." Raye suggested. "Maybe he just keeps you around because he doesn't want to pay alimony or child support."

Serena couldn't breathe. She felt as if Raye had just strangled her. Rini stirred underneath her, waking up to her mom's shaking. "D-do you really think that?" Serena choked out.

"Oh yeah, I've heard stories of doctors doing that all the time. It's less expensive that way." Raye paused for a moment. "I would just divorce him. You could find someone else who would actually love you!"

"I-I don't know." Serena stammered. She got up, and paced the floor with Rini cooing into her ear. Serena thought about her choices. Why should she divorce Darien? Beyond the fact that he was never there for her? Possibly because he doesn't love her, but primarily because he shows Rini no love either. How many times had Darien refused to spend time with their daughter?

Serena didn't like to think about these things, and yet, as she and Raye prepared breakfast, she couldn't stop herself. Plopping a bottle into Rini's mouth, Serena thought back to the times when she had taken time out of her busy schedule to buy Darien thoughtful gifts for his birthday, while in return he had forgotten all about hers. She thought about how Darien hadn't even been present at Rini's birth because he had to work.

After ten minutes of silence, Serena asked, "What is it like between you and Jadeite?"

Raye flipped the omelet she was frying before answering. "It's like I've died and gone to heaven. There's always this spark between us that lets me know he is the one, you know?"

"No."

Darien and Serena had a spark at the beginning or at least, she thought they did. Then when he started for his doctorate at medical school it all but disappeared. Serena couldn't even remember the last time she felt butterflies in her stomach. Or even the static feeling around him like lightning had hit, making them attract to each other like magnets. The realization made her feel sad.

"If you left Darien, maybe you would find someone who would make you feel that way."

Serena and Raye sat at the table with omelets in hand. Serena still held onto Rini as she drank from her bottle, and attempted to juggle eating at the same time.

"Maybe you're right." Serena said, her eyes closed in defeat. "I'm sick of being alone."

"Then it's time to end it."

_Raye is quite the instigator isn't she? Please tell me what you think of this chapter and of Serena and Darien's relationship. Many hugs! -Natasha_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: CynDLou12 thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter! I'm inclined to agree with you, but having been around so much divorce myself, I've seen this behavior from 'real' friends all the time. People are crazy, but that's why it's so fun to write about relationships. Thank you to my followers and favoriters as well! I hope everyone enjoys the next installment of Fragmented!-Natasha_

**Chapter 4**

Darien finished spreading a freshly washed ebony comforter on his and Serena's king sized bed. He slid down onto the floor next to it, thinking about the night prior. Darien hadn't been able to sleep after their argument, and just layed in bed for hours feeling distraught before he began thinking about ways that he could improve his family life.

First, he called into work, requesting for a third cardiac surgeon to be put on call. He even requested for time off to spend some time with Serena and Rini. Next, he ordered flowers over the phone to be delivered while he cleaned the apartment. The task had taken all night and morning, but he wanted to do it to show his crushed wife that he cared.

As Darien sat on the floor, he tried to think of what else he could do. Should he call her? Should he beg her to come back home?

He heard a loud ring coming from the front door.

Darien picked himself up off of the floor and took his wallet from the top of their dresser. When he answered the door, he smiled at a woman with brown hair wrapped in a ponytail and green eyes that shined like emeralds. He wondered aloud, "You must be delivering the flowers?"

Lita lifted a vase full of pink and white flowers. "You've got that right!"

Darien opened up his wallet, pulling out the money necessary to pay the bill plus a tip. "Here you go."

"Thank you, sir!" Lita exclaimed, giving him the bouquet. "I hope that everything works out for the best."

"Do you only get orders from people in the doghouse or something?" Darien asked, covering his forehead with one hand, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, mostly. We do get a lot of orders on Valentine's Day and Mother's Day though!"

"Well doesn't that just figure?"

They laugh before going their separate ways. Darien smiled to himself, making sure to put the flowers on the table. He jotted down a note quickly, placing it inside an envelope to leave behind for Serena.

Soo,n he retreated to his and Serena's room, desperate to at least try and get a little bit of sleep.

...

Serena fumbled with her purse, pushing aside lip gloss bottles, sticks of gum, her wallet, and random receipts while trying to find the keys to her apartment. Having left her homework in her and Darien's apartment that was due just the next day, she knew it was important to get in there while Darien was at work. She didn't want to see him. The idea of looking at him made her want to cry.

Finally, she found the keys and pushed them into the doorknob. She turned the handle when she heard the click telling her the door was unlocked. Serena walked inside, delightfully surprised to see the kitchen clean. All the take out boxes, the dishes, and even the moldy food that had been left on counters were now gone. Instead those things were replaced with a shining empty sink, mopped floors, and washed counters. She zipped up her purse, taking in the smell of citrus oranges that surrounded her instead of the stale pizza scent she was accustomed to.

Feeling flustered, Serena dropped her bag on one of the empty counters, and walked into a swept and tidied up dining room. She ran her fingers over all the bills stacked on the table marked paid with a pencil. Next to the small pile of papers, sat a bouquet of white roses and large pink tiger lilies, carefully wrapped with sparkling tissue paper in a glass vase. She picked up a white envelope labeled 'Serena' beside the flowers and ripped it open.

_Serena,_

_I'm sorry. Please give me the chance to make this up to you._

_I love you,_

_Darien_

Serena sighed, confused about what to do. On the one hand, Darien was finally showing interest in their relationship. On the other hand, he had waited until it was nearly over to do anything about it! She pressed the stationary into her chest, breathing in and out slowly. More than anything, Serena wanted to believe Darien would change for her, but it had taken years for her husband to gradually become this way. She wasn't sure if her heart could handle waiting years for him to revert back to the way he used to be.

Lost in her thoughts, the contemplating woman didn't hear the footsteps from their bedroom on the other side of the apartment.

Darien stood in the hall, leaning against the door, gazing from a distance as she read his card multiple times, as if memorizing the note word for word. Even though the man's body was weighed down with exhaustion, he had been completely incapable of sleep, only able to think of her through the night and into the early morning. His heart raged a war in his chest, slamming against his rib cage, with true fear of her actions in his heart.

With nothing else to do, he watched her, breathing quietly, keeping his presence unknown. He didn't know what to say to his true love quite yet.

Serena placed the bordered stock paper back onto the smooth table. As a college student, her priorities would have to lay with getting her math assignments complete. Perhaps picking up more clothes and diapers for Rini from the changing station in the baby's room while she was at it. Serena decided then that relationships, including the one she was currently married into with Darien, would have to be put on hold. She needed time to figure out what she wanted, outside of Raye's influence, and outside of Darien's too.

Her heartbeat paused briefly when she turned to see her husband standing in the hallway. She sniffled, stepping backwards, returning to the table. The silence was awkward and painful as the couple looked at each other, unsure of what to say to one another. The buzz of the blu ray player rang through the silence, going for a minute straight without interruption.

"Hey," offered Darien, entering the living room to be closer to her.

She stood still, moving her eyes to the entertainment center so she wouldn't have to look into his.

"Hi."

Darien frowned, unhappy with her inability to look him in the eyes. The hurt she felt towards him, the misery caused by him, it was unbearable. He shuffled towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He smelled her hair, which was undeniably the scent of apple shampoo, and squeezed her tighter. "Serena, I'm so sorry for what I said last night. I was exhausted and stressed. I love you so much, and I hate that I hurt you."

Serena's body stiffened in his hold, with her eyes resting on his white t-shirt. He was dressed in casual wear and for some reason that infuriated her. "Why are you home, Darien?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Darien asked, a pained expression crossing over his facial features. "Didn't you say you wanted me home?"

Serena pushed him away, frustrated. "So, what are you saying? That you're only home on the days that I say I'm not going to be here?"

Darien shook his head. Of course she was acting this way. He knew that was how she always reacted to his gestures these days.

"That's not what I said at all." Darien replied, grabbing her hands. He kissed her knuckles, pulling her close to him again. He whispered into her ear, "Serena, I took the day off so we can sort things out and spend the day together."

"Well, I'm busy today, Darien. The world doesn't revolve around your work schedule."

Darien sighed.

"Well, maybe if you make time, I can take you to the Christmas party the hospital is hosting for it's doctors this weekend?"

Serena thought for a moment. First about school, and how tomorrow was the last day before Winter break began anyways.

"I guess I can make the time." She decided, wondering what she should wear. Maybe Raye could help her go shopping for a dress.

"After the party, you and I can go to dinner, or maybe we can pick up Rini and go away to the beach for the weekend." Darien recommended. He had taken the week off work so that he could spend time with his girls. To prove to the pretty girl in his arms that he truly did care, if only she was willing to give him the chance to do so. "We can do whatever you want, Sere."

"You promise you won't cancel on me?" Serena asked, looking up at him, touching his cheek with her fingertips.

"I swear." Darien promised, cherishing the touch of her skin against his own.

"Then I'll forgive you."

Darien brushes his lips against hers lightly. He runs his fingers through her hair, touching her beloved buns with his hands. When Serena kisses him back, Darien deepens the kiss, making it harder to breathe between small gasps of air.

When it looks as though things are going to get heavier between her and Darien, Serena breaks away. "I have some assignments due tomorrow that I haven't finished yet." She explained, pulling away from Darien's warm body, choosing to make her way to their study.

"Do you need any help?" Darien asked, following behind her, desperate to be close to her.

"I've never needed your help before." Serena answered. "I can figure this out on my own."

She picked up the packets and textbooks she had left in the family office. She turns to see Darien watching her longingly. "Are you leaving again, Sere?"

"Well…" Serena paused. If she left Rini with Raye for too long, it wouldn't be fair to her feisty friend, let alone to their daughter.

"Please don't."

He didn't even notice that their daughter was missing, she noticed angrily. "I have to go pick up Rini. She's with Raye right now, and I can't just ditch them to spend time with you."

"Then I'll go with you!" Darien's face brightened, he reached for her hand, escorting her out of the hall. "Grab your purse, and we'll pick up our little girl. We can take her to the zoo, or to the park."

"Darien I-"

He interrupted her. "We could go get ice cream. We can go to the pet store and look at animals. I'll even help you with your math."

"No." She answered coldly. "I told you that I'm busy."

"But Serena…" He pleaded.

"Just drop it."

"Damn it, Serena!" Darien yelled, dropping her hand. He punched his fist into the wall next to them. In a desperate voice he said, "Can't you see I'm trying here?"

"I told you, I'll go to your work party this weekend, but I've got things planned for today." Serena reached for her purse before she added, "I know you're trying, and I appreciate that. If I find time, I'll call you, okay?"

She doesn't wait for his answer. Instead, she leaves with her things just as quickly as she came, heading to Raye's place to finish her learning assessments.

"Agghh!" Darien shouted, his voice echoing through the empty apartment. He punched the wall once more. "What does she want from me?"

…

"He's home," said Serena as she dropped her books onto Raye's dining room table. She snorted. "Would you believe that he only comes home if I threaten to leave him?"

"I'm telling you, it's because he doesn't want you to leave," Raye responded, carrying a very alert Rini into the room. Rini smiled wide when she saw her mom, and made a tiny cooing sound. "We just don't know for sure what his motives are."

"He wants me to spend the day with him. He wants me to go to his work party, and I even agreed to go." Serena said wistfully, opening her Calculus textbook, turning it to the last page she was on. She looked up at her daughter and smiled faintly. "I think he does care. I think he does want to work things out, but it's just so hard to believe he'll change."

"Well, give him the work party then." Raye recommended. "What's it for anyways?"

"I guess it's a Christmas party. Knowing the Human Resources team there, they probably planned it to be formal." Serena jotted equations down onto her notebook, solving them as she went. It takes a while though, around one equation per every ten minutes.

"Will Rini be able to go?" Raye asked. She placed Rini on a blanket on the floor for tummy time so she could prepare lunch. "Or is it adult only?"

Raye started to spread mayonnaise on whole wheat bread when Serena said, "Darien didn't say. I'm sure their stance will be the same as last year."

"What was that?"

"We strongly recommend you leave the kids at home!" Serena laughed as she thought about the last party. "Darien's co workers got so drunk! Mr. Kenson was so hammered he started singing the Pokemon theme song in front of everyone and speaking into his beeper like it was a pokedex."

Raye bursted out laughing. "Remind me not to get any serious surgeries at that hospital!"

"I know, right?" Serena twirled her pencil in a circle. "I can get mom and dad to watch Rini for the night, that's no problem. I'm actually more concerned about what to wear."

"Well when is it?"

"Pretty sure it's this Saturday."

Raye looked into the living room at the dress she had started this morning when talking with Serena about Darien. She had managed to get around twenty gems sewed on, but still had about a thousand or so left until it was done. Winter break had already started for her, so she had time to focus on it.

"If I finish it up in time, you can borrow the blue dress." Raye offered. She adds lettuce and tomato to ham and cheese sandwiches. "You'd look amazing in it!"

"Really? That would be amazing, Raye!"

"You've got it!" Raye cut the sandwiches in half and put them onto two plates. She walked past Rini, who lay on the floor staring at the dark couch only a couple feet away in the living room. "I just hope Darien proves to be worth all the hard work."

"Me too." Serena reached for a sandwich. She takes a bite before saying with her mouth full of lettuce leaves, "One day." She munched on the food in her mouth, and swallowed. "I'll give him one date before I make a decision about divorce."

"Sounds like a plan, Serena." Raye dropped her sandwich back onto her dish. "You've got to do what's best for you and Rini. Even if it means life without Darien."

_What did you think all? Is Darien and Serena's relationship complicated? Who makes it that way? If you were Darien what would you do? Let me know! -Natasha_


	5. Chapter 5

_Life is sort of crazy on my end. The spinal fracture is healing finally, but I still can't bend over or pick up anything over 1 liter heavy. The process is extremely long. Looks like I might have another week or two of this, but we'll see. I'll keep writing as I heal up. So, I just wanted to thank my wonderful readers for the support and the inspiration that I get from you! Thank you, Artemis630, Guest, LoveInTheBattleField, and bluebutterfly2006 for your reviews for Chapter 4! Thanks to all my favoriters and followers as well! -Natasha_

**Chapter 5**

"Is she going to show up?" Andrew asked impatiently, interrupting Darien's train of thought while he wondered what to buy his daughter for Christmas.

They stood in the corner of the large dining room filled with golden chandeliers hanging from the conclave ceiling. Darien stared out the large wall length window, admiring the view of the gardens powdered with snow down below. He took a sip from his wine glass, listening to the jingle from his top hat wine marker before answering, "She's only half an hour late. That's early for her."

Andrew frowned, straightening his tuxedo jacket. He just couldn't understand how a man like Darien could stand his wife's lack of punctuality. Andrew observed how indifferent Darien seemed to be in regards to Serena's tardiness. Rather than be upset or embarrassed, Darien just smiled, sipping away at his beverage, listening to the jazz music in the background instead.

But then Darien looked up, and from across the room, he was able to see her enter through the large arch covered in ribbons and mistletoe. Serena shimmered like a blue snowflake when she walked towards him. Her hair fell loosely down past her waist, until they reached her ankles. Serena never left her hair down, so Darien was pleasantly surprised. He was so excited to see her after days of her avoiding him, that he raced towards her, ignorant to everything else around him.

He didn't notice Andrew's reveling expression as he gazed longingly at Darien's wife. To Andrew, she looked as though she were an angel that had fallen from the heavens above. He had seen the pictures in Darien's office, but in person, she looked like a completely different woman.

Darien kissed Serena on the cheek before whispering, "Thank you, for coming."

"I said I would." She placed her hand into Darien's, allowing him to lead her towards Andrew. "I keep the promises I make."

Darien ignored her comment, knowing that it was meant to be a jab at him. He couldn't let her snide remarks get to him tonight. They had to work through their problems, and in order to do that, someone had to stop being stubborn, no matter how wrong they thought the other person was.

When their eyes met, Serena and Andrew smiled at each other. She didn't know what it was, but even from a distance, she knew that he was something special. The feeling that she used to have for Darien when she crushed on him as a teenager stirred up. She felt butterflies float around in her stomach. Something about the way that Andrew was smiling at her made her heart race. It was new and exciting, yet she didn't feel an ounce of guilt knowing she was standing right next to her husband, feeling these emotions. It wasn't as if anything would actually come from it.

Andrew on the other hand, felt guilty as hell. He felt the same way Serena did, but nervous and scared at the same time. Nothing has to happen just because of a physical attraction. Besides, it's not as if he was ever going to see her again after tonight, he reminded himself. The flip flops he felt in his gut were undeniable, and he hated knowing that the only person he'd felt this way for was taken by someone he wanted to be best friends with.

Whether the attraction to the other person was mutual or not didn't matter. As friends and partners to Darien, but in different ways mind you, they had an obligation to keep to him.

"Andrew, this is the lovely Serena you've been hearing about everyday since you've started working with me." Darien smiled, pulling his wife into a hug, kissing her forehead lightly above her brow.

" Nice to meet you," said Serena as she held her hand out to Andrew, preparing to give him a handshake. Instead, Andrew bowed to kiss her knuckles gently, looking up at her before breaking his kiss to give her a smile. Serena's fingers went fuzzy, and she smiled back, not out of politeness, but because she generally already enjoyed his company.

"And you as well, Serena. Dar talks about you all the time, like he said. So, I feel like I already know you."

Darien didn't seem to notice the spark between the two. He didn't know Andrew long enough to know that he was treating his wife differently than he treated any other woman. Perhaps he was too out of touch with his wife to notice the chemistry that they had lost was showing between her and his friend. Either way, he was oblivious.

"I can't imagine that you know that much!" Serena giggled, she adjusted the aquamarine oval pendant on her neck, and squeezed Darien's hand tighter. It was a gesture of acknowledgement for the fact that he cared enough to talk about her. Almost like a silent thank you. Hearing Andrew's reassuring words warded off her fears of Darien cheating on her. If a man is happily taken and not looking around, he makes the effort to show he is unavailable. She realized that, and Serena felt a twinge of hope for repairing their broken relationship.

"Well, I know you love pearls, that you prefer to sing songs to yourself rather than hear them playing on the radio. I know that you and Darien are high school sweethearts who are five years apart in age. Then there's your daughter Rini, who you secretly named after yourself."

Andrew could have went on, but felt it was inappropriate to do so.

"Yeah, Sometimes I'm like a broken record." Darien interjected, scratching the back of his head, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "But when I start talking about you, I can't help but talk about everything you do that makes me smile."

"He never shuts up."

Serena froze. Why did he have to be so confusing? Why show everyone else how much he loved and cared about her, but not show it at home? She wanted to scream in frustration. Who shows how much they care when they are on the brink of divorce and not all of the time?

Darien. That's who.

"Will you dance with me?" Darien asked, pulling her out onto the dance floor. She nearly tripped over the fabric in surprise at the sudden jerk, but recovered quickly with the help of his strong grip.

Serena placed her hands over his shoulders, carefully wrapping her fingers around his neck. He held her waist, and lead them into the dance. They swayed back and forth together, with the occasional twirl here and there when the beat of the drums called for one.

After moments of agonizing silence, Darien whispered, "I love you."

"Me too." She replied, leaning her head against his shoulder.

The man playing his saxophone amongst the rest of the band began his solo. The tune was powerful, making you want to sing to match the emotion it conveyed. Sadness and love all at the same time, just like the way Serena's heart desperately reached out to Darien's.

Darien rested his chin on the top of Serena's head. He was lost in thought, trying to think of things that they could do with each other. Although he knew all her quirks from the past, the doctor hadn't spent much time studying his wife currently. Of course he knew she was going to college, but other than for her career, what did that have to do with anything?

After the third twirl, Serena's eyes caught Andrew's. Although he was talking to a different girl at the buffet, he stopped to raise his wine glass at Serena. Her lips curved upwards briefly before Darien circled her around the dance floor once more.

"Did you think about the trip to the ocean?" Darien grasped at straws, trying to make some kind of conversation with the girl in his arms.

Serena answered quietly, "Yes."

Darien waited for her answer.

"Rini and I will go, but we only have a couple of days."

"That's great!" exclaimed Darien, picking her up and spinning her around. He went in for a kiss, but Serena quickly moved her lips away, and his lips landed on her cheek instead.

Although his ego was bruised, Darien didn't complain at the clear lack of desire she had for his touch. While he didn't enjoy being merely tolerated by his wife, he reminded himself to focus on what truly mattered, and that was that she had said yes.

So, long as he kept getting yes out of her, then there was still hope for repairing the marriage. Deep down, he knew that things had to get worse before they could get better. After all, marriage was for better or for worse, and as the husband, it was his job to weather them through the storm.

And Darien would weather through anything, so long as it was for her.

_Please read and review! -Natasha_


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you to LoveInTheBattleField, Artemis630, CynDLou12, Revy679, bluebutterfly2006, and smfan4ever72 for reviewing the last chapter! I appreciate everyone's feedback so much! -Natasha_

**Chapter 6**

The wet sand molded around Serena's feet as she squished her toes into the mud, making little holes. She spread her legs, and laid backwards on the beach, enjoying the water as it tickled her feet with each wave, and soaked the ends of her ponytails each time the liquid moved further up the shore.

The beach was freakishly abandoned, even for December, with only a few stragglers here and there as they searched for seashells closer to the ocean floor. She and Darien were pretty much the only people there, and that was if you weren't counting Rini, who in Serena's opinion counted as an extra appendage to her body. Except for in the current moment, that is.

Behind her, Darien sat criss crossed with Rini in his lap, using his fingers to dig a miniature race track for a pink match box car he claimed to have bought for Rini. You know, the two month old? Tiny pebbles spread across a thin road to mark the start of the track. Darien was like a little boy again, using sea shells, sticks, and rocks of all sizes to create obstacles. He was content to play with dirt and twigs, but most importantly, Rini enjoyed being bundled up in Darien's arms, watching as her dad played out his old childhood make believe.

Serena watched them, her face beaming as they interacted with one another. Rini's coos delighted her, making her feel happy and warm all at the same time. Seeing Darien kiss his daughter's forehead, and pat her little hands on the sand to make a tiny hill for a stick figure to stand on, it brought a fondness to her heart she hadn't felt in a while.

When Rini turned her head to stare at her mother, smiling widely and shaking her arms about in excitement, Serena crawled over to join the father-daughter duo. She nipped at Rini's tiny nose in a playful manner, making Rini squint her eyes. Darien held Rini tightly in one arm and used his free hand to wrap his arm around Serena's waist and let his nose touch hers.

"I love you, Serena."

Serena smiled sheepishly to herself, surprised by how happy she had been after checking into the hotel. Being away for Winter break, and away from Darien's job...it reminded her of what they used to be like. Darien was showing his parenting side, which made her heart melt whenever he and Rini were together. He appeared more attractive, snuggling their daughter. She felt like all the resentment she was feeling could just wash away when she watched the two most important people in her life spend time together.

"I love you too, Darien."

It had been a while since she last said those words. So, when he heard the sweet affirmation of her feelings spill from her lips, Darien felt a relief he hadn't felt in a long time. How long had it been? Five, maybe six months since she had last told him she loved him? At least, until today that is.

"Do you want to go to dinner tonight?" He asked, combing a few strands of her hair back behind her ear. "Maybe we can get some Italian or something depending on what's in the area."

"Sure!" Serena pinched Rini's cheek playfully. "We'd love that, wouldn't we Rini?"

Rini flailed her arms once more in excitement, tipping forward so that she was nearly falling face first in the sand, but Serena caught her just in time and squeezed her close. For the first time in a long time, it felt like they were acting like a family.

….

Darien searched the internet on his laptop to find any local restaurants in the area. He scrolled past advertisements for the typical pizza, taco, and burger places...not wanting to eat fast food. Considering his profession, he knew he didn't want to push his arteries too much due to salty and fatty foods. When he came across a restaurant called "Casa di Pasta", he clicked on the website.

A quick scan of the dessert menu and Darien knew that this was the place his wife would love to eat at. The strawberry shortcake trifle looked to die for with it's fresh vanilla pudding and berries of all assortments. Then there was the pistachio almond pudding pie which looked like cake with gold on top. If he knew what she liked to eat, and Darien was pretty sure he did, this was the place to go.

"Hey, Sere!" He called from the couch in the living area of the hotel room.

Serena poked her head out of the bathroom, with her hair falling wet from her shoulders, and water droplets falling to the floor. "Did you call me?"

Darien chuckled, before asking, "How do you feel about Casa di Pasta? They've got spaghetti, alfredo and all kinds of things like that."

"How are their deserts?"

"They have your favorite."

"Strawberry shortcake?" She squealed from the bathroom, wrapping her soaked hair in one of the small and dinky towels the hotel provided them with. She raced out of the bathroom, wrapped only in towels, and looked at the computer screen. "What are you waiting for? Make reservations already!"

When Serena turned away, she looked at Rini who she slept on the queen sized bed, surrounded by pillows with a teething blanket in her mouth.

Serena noticed that when Darien was with them, Rini seemed calmer. Maybe it was just the emotions that they felt when they were apart from each other that influenced the baby girl's behavior.

Darien chuckled before turning on his cellphone. When the phone started to make all kinds of ringing sounds and vibrations signalling that he must have received nearly ten text messages, he sighed.

Serena whipped her head around, knowing what the sounds meant, because this had happened so many times before. "Let me guess, you're leaving?"

Darien opened one of the text messages from his boss, where the man demanded that he come in immediately. The third surgeon fell into cardiac arrest unexpectedly, and there was no one to fill Darien's slot. Darien needed to come back in now. He opened each message, and it was the same whether from Andrew or his boss or even the secretaries up front in the hospital.

"Serena, I really want to go to dinner with you, but I don't have a choice. I promise I'll come right back."

Serena's eyes welled up. "You always say that, but it's never true."

"I promise." Darien said, closing the laptop before putting his phone in his pocket. "I'll come back to you after, even if it's four in the morning."

"No. Don't even bother!" Serena snapped, her voice raising loudly enough to show she was angry, but quietly enough to not disturb Rini. She reached into her suitcase on the edge of the bed, pulling out a pajama set to wear. "You always promise me things, but you never follow through! What happened to not cancelling on me while we were spending the weekend together? You are never keeping your promises, and I'm tired of pretending that you actually care about me enough to try!"

"That's not fair, Serena!" Darien grabbed his jacket off the top of the chair, wrapping it around his body and zipping it up. He didn't have time for this fight. He had to go to work. "You knew that our life would be like this when I became a doctor."

Serena shook her head, slipping her top over her head, knowing that she would be too depressed to leave the hotel room and do something. "No, I didn't sign up for you to never be home, to never be there for me." Tears streamed down her face, and she said begrudgingly, "I supported your dreams because I loved you, but now I know that you love your work more than you ever loved me!"

Darien wanted to shake her. He wanted to shake her until she came to her senses and realized that she was crazy. "I work because I love you, to support and care for you!"

"Okay…" Serena paused, looking at Darien's hurt expression, trying thinking about how to get her point across. Then she challenged him, "Would you quit your job as a doctor and do something else because you love me more?"

Darien shoved his keys and wallet into his pocket, and stormed out the door. He paused briefly in the hallway to say, "I don't have time for this, Serena."

He slammed the door behind him, leaving Serena and Rini in the hotel room alone. Serena ripped one of the pillows off the end of the bed Rini was sleeping on and threw it at the couch in frustration. She sat down, crying in anger, because now she knew she would never come before work.

She wondered aloud to herself, "If I left him, would I really find someone else to love me?"

When the room remained silent, she wiped her tears away, and sighed to herself. If nothing else, at least she had Rini to sleep with for the night. She couldn't leave since Darien took the only car, and had no other way to get home anyways.

_So, I want to apologize for not updating this story in a while. My power went out last night while I was working on the chapter and so, naturally, there was no way to upload it until the power came back on this afternoon. Let me know what you think! -Natasha_


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you crimson notes, Princess Selina, Guest, Artemis630, devilsangels11287, SailorStar23, Bluebutterfly2006, and mryann for reviewing the last chapter! Your comments made me proud of my writing, which at times can be difficult, but I feel like I am improving over time. So, thank you again! As my injury heals more and more and my body becomes more mobile, I'm not updating as much. I will make an effort to update at least once a week however. That will be Mondays. -Natasha_

**Chapter 7**

She finished tying off the red bow for Rini's Christmas present. This would be Ikuko's first Christmas with a baby granddaughter in the house, and she wanted everything to be perfect.

It was almost hard to believe how quickly time had passed.

She remembered the days when Serena was her little girl running down the stairs, sometimes tripping at the bottom, but then quickly scrambling to her feet to get to her Christmas gifts. She remembered Serena's small little ponytails curling on the ends, just barely touching her pink footie pajamas covered in white bunnies. Sammy would follow right behind Serena, calling out for her to wait as he attempted to keep up.

Ken would hold Ikuko's hand as they embraced on the couch, watching with contentment as their children tore and ripped at wrapping paper in greens, reds, and whites. Only when the floor was a complete disaster with discarded paper and ribbon everywhere would the siblings stop to play with their toys, but the mess didn't matter. All that mattered was their happy faces.

The doorbell rang, creating an echoing jingle through the house that allowed anyone in any part of the house to be aware of visitors.

Ikuko paused, taking a deep breath as she deposited the large round box under the Christmas tree with the rest of the gifts. She wasn't sure if Rini would like it, but she reminded herself that a baby doesn't understand gifts anyways. All that really mattered was that Serena and Darien liked her present.

"Is that them?" Ken called from the kitchen, walking into the living room with a plate shaped like a candy cane. Sugar cookies covered with sprinkles and chocolate chips sat neatly on the plate in stacks. He answered the door as Ikuko ran up next to him to welcome their children in.

They opened the door and smiled when Sammy and a young woman with brown hair waved from the other side of the door. "Hey Mom." Sammy hugged his mom tightly, and then turned to do the same to his father. "Dad."

"Hey Sammy, who is this?" Ikuko asked, winking, and moving to make way for them.

"Mom, this is Mika. I met her last semester," Sammy offered, taking Mika's jacket off, and placed it on the coat rack behind the door. "Mika, meet Mom and Dad!"

Mika smiled warmly, shaking Sammy's parents' hands. She felt nervous, her heart was jittery because she had never met a boyfriend's parents before. "Hi. Um...it's nice to… it's nice to meet you, and certainly not scary at all!"

Sammy and his parents laughed. What else could they do? The poor girl looked as though she was about to go crawl in a corner and stay there for the night.

"Well, we can't wait to get to know you, Mika. You are the first girl Sammy's ever brought home," Ken said, patting her shoulder in reassurance.

Mika's eyes brightened. "Really?"

Sammy's cheeks turned crimson. He sat down next to Mika, avoiding the question she asked altogether. He reached for a sugar cookie shaped like a bell with yellow frosting, and munched away, it's rude to talk with your mouth full after all.

The doorbell rang once more.

Sammy jumped up from his seat. "That must be my niece!"

"You're an Uncle?"

"New Uncle," Sammy answered, running to the door, snapping his fingers as he realized he'd forgotten something. "Aww man, I gotta get the presents from the car!"

He answered the door, pushing past a very cold Serena and Darien covered in small flakes of snow to get to his car. Serena rolled her eyes and smiled sheepishly to herself. That was her baby brother for you, nearly twenty four and still acting like his old forgetful self. Just like every other year.

"Darien! Serena!" Ikuko called from the living room. "Bring Rini in here, we're just about to start!"

"Rini's actually asleep, Mrs. Tsukino." Darien lifted the car seat he was holding, showing Rini as she slept. Her little head was tilted, her mouth open, with drool pooling down her little chin.

"Awww, she's so beautiful!" Mika squealed from the couch, holding her hands up to her cheeks as she admired the baby. "How old is she?"

"She's three months in about five days." Serena said, dropping a small pile of gifts in front of the Christmas tree. She turned to shake Mika's hand. "I know you, Sammy's told me all about his artist girlfriend who's gonna be a star someday."

Mika blushed, shaking Serena's hand, barely able to contain her embarrassment. Sammy on the other hand, looked like he was about to die when he walked in on the conversation. He too, dropped his presents off with the rest, and then turned to say, "What are you trying to do? You're going to scare her off!"

"Don't worry, when Mom shows her your baby pictures, she'll run for the hills on her own!"

Sammy scowled at his sister. They glared at each other, staring as they tried to win the ultimate showdown between siblings. Sammy blinked. Serena laughed.

"You know, when Darien came over for the first time, I was on my best behavior!"

Darien and their parents burst into laughter. Mika looked around at her boyfriend's family, listening to them, and wondered whether it would be awkward to join them. She stayed quiet.

"What?" Sammy exclaimed. They continued when he looked confused. "I was!"

The family laughed even harder. It was a surprise Rini was able to sleep through it all, but still, she did.

"So, showing Darien every single love letter I had written him in secret since I was fourteen before we even dated was your best behavior?" Serena asked, smirking with her arms crossed.

Sammy scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "He admitted to liking you after, didn't he?"

"Sammy!" Serena yelled, whacking him on the shoulder. "That's not the point and you know it!"

"Well, you're happily married with a kid because of it!"

Mika would have joined in on the family's laughter, but she sensed something was wrong. Darien and Serena went quiet, and for a split second she could feel the tension between the both of them. Then the feeling went away, and Serena went on laughing with the group, but Darien remained silent, rocking the car seat with his foot, pretending to smile.

They reminded her of her parents before they split up. Her dad had just left Mika and her mom behind to fend for themselves. Her Father had left everything to them when he left. All the old mortgage payments he didn't pay, the holes he had left in the walls from throwing furniture, empty food cartons in the pantry. Having all that was better than having him though.

Mika shuddered to herself as childhood memories of her parents screaming in front of her resurfaced. Even at the age of three she had known something was wrong. She remembered yelling, "Stop!" when they got loud, but her cries were always in vain. They would just continue anyways, yelling over her little voice, making her feel weak and powerless.

Serena and Darien were not happily married...she could just... tell.

…

"And this one's for you, Sammy!"

Serena dropped a box wrapped in a deep blue wrapping paper on her brother's lap. Sammy gasped in surprise at how heavy the gift was. The box looked light, shaped like a shoebox, but unless the shoes inside were made of bricks, the gift was something else entirely.

Sammy shook the box, and his present made a loud thump against the cardboard when the gift flung to the other side. "What is it?"

"I picked it out for you, Sam." Darien said, nodding his head at Sammy in acknowledgement.

"Sammy, You should just open it!" Mika said, rubbing her boyfriend's arm, and leaning her head against his shoulder. Sammy smiled, turning to kiss her forehead before returning his attention to the present.

Serena felt a pang in her chest. It was a feeling like someone was pulling a vein from her heart, but only for a brief moment before letting it loose, letting it fly back into it's place. She watched her brother, wishing that she and Darien were still like Sammy and Mika. Holding each other all the time like at the beginning, making each other a priority. Life was so unfair, and she was jealous of what they had.

Instead of snuggling or being close to one another, Darien and Serena's relationship was so fragmented that it was hard to be near each other. Since the fight at the hotel, they didn't even sleep in the same rooms anymore. Serena slept in their daughter's room on a twin size bed instead. Her excuse being that Rini needed her close and Darien needed his sleep, but she knew he knew better. At least, she _hoped_ Darien knew better than that.

This all seemed to go unnoticed by her family. The fact that her Mom and Dad were sitting on the floor playing poke a nose with Rini kept them from noticing the lengths that Serena and Darien went to be on opposite sides of the room from each other. She almost hated them for it. She was too scared to admit that she needed help, that something was wrong. She didn't want to be the one to bring it up. After all, no one wants to tell their parents that they were actually failing.

Or at least, it felt like failure. Especially with her parents snuggling so close together, holding her daughter, longing to give their grandchild the special attention that grandparents always do. Then there was Sammy with the sweet and gentle young woman who he had been unable to stop raving about for the last couple of months.

"Okay…" Sammy said, biting the upper corner of his lip as he tore at the corner paper of the box. "I'm opening it."

The paper landed on the carpet already littered with wrapping paper everywhere. Usually Ken would have a garbage bag out to clean as they went. That was how most holidays involving gifts were handled once Serena turned nine and Sammy turned five. It was a waste though, and her mom had pointed out that they should probably just burn it with the firewood or reuse it for the following year. Something about being green and not filling a landfill.

Sammy lifted a large blue book entitled, _Cardiac Surgery in the Adult_. He rotated it, showing the large text to everyone in the room. It made Serena want to throw up. The picture of a man being operated on was graphic. His heart beating right underneath the doctor's metal instruments, the blood, the guts...it was enough to make her hurl up her dinner.

"Darien, Serena, I love it! This is going to help with college costs so much!" Sammy said thankfully. He meant it. Going at nearly three hundred American dollars and more, this was one of the better books that Darien could have picked out for him. His brother-in-law should know how much his schooling to be a surgeon was going to cost.

Ever since Sammy was ten years old, and Serena had gone on and on about that boy at the arcade who drove her crazy, he had secretly idolized Darien. He followed in Darien's every footstep, choosing to tag along with him on his journey of becoming a doctor. He wanted to work alongside Darien. Family should stick together after all.

"What an expensive and thoughtful gift." Ken said to Darien with an air of gratefulness. He was still paying for Sammy's schooling, and since Sammy still had two years to go, finances remained tight until Sammy was done.

"Of course." Darien said offhandedly. "I work hard to treat all of my family members."

Not to mention that Darien had always wanted a brother. He had always wanted to be part of a family period, and even when Serena and Darien were not together, they always treated him as such. He had been an orphan all his life. In High School he had met his sweet, loving Serena, and they immersed him into their family, promising him companionship always.

But specifically, they approved of Serena dating him, which was the most important gift to him of all. He would never be able to pay them back for that, even with how south the relationship was going now. Their acceptance gave Darien something he had always wanted: A home.

Serena clucked her tongue in annoyance. She rolled her eyes when she thought no one was looking. The blonde didn't notice that Mika had caught every irritated twitch that Serena had made.

Mika sighed to herself, wondering just how the rest of the family didn't see the great distance between the younger married couple. How they didn't see how broken Serena and Darien were. It made her visit awkward for her, and Mika wanted nothing more than to say something, but she couldn't. Mika was a stranger, and it wasn't her place to interfere.

Someone tapped on Mika's shoulder, startling her, causing her to turn her attention away from Serena. Ikuko knelt in front of her on the couch with a medium-sized, black gift box with a tiny, golden, and twirly bow on the top.

Mika opened the box, which was the size of her two hands, but thin enough to show that whatever was in there wasn't huge. It turned out to be a jewelry box, for inside sat a pair of Amethysts embedded in sterling silver, dangling off silver earring hooks. A thin chain also made from sterling silver connected to the word Tsukino in the middle from each side. Hanging from the u was a smaller Amethyst.

"What does this mean?" Mika asked, confused by the Christmas gift Sammy's family presented her with.

But everything made sense when Ikuko left the gift on her lap, moving out of the way for her son to get down on one knee in front of Mika.

Sammy held her hand, kissing her knuckles, shaking uncontrollably, every nerve in his body on fire from fear. His heart raced, and his stomach acid gurgled around until it created a bile in the back of his throat. Still yet, he pulled a small ring box from his pocket, opening it in front of his girlfriend, who sat with her hands up to her mouth, gasping in surprise.

"Mika," Sammy began, his throat becoming dry. He needed water, but only after she answered. "I love you so much, and I know this is sudden, and even kind of crazy...I mean it's only been six months, but six months is all I've needed to fall in love with you, and know that you are the one."

Mika's heartbeat seemed to match Sammy's in speed, but there was no way he could know that. This was something she had always dreamed of as a little girl. Marrying a man like Sammy, who made her feel special, loved, and needed. Someone who desired her for who she was, and didn't try to change her.

"So, if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife, and having a family someday… Of growing old with me. Of letting me love you, and show you how much I love you everyday for the rest of your life, it would make me the happiest man alive. Mika Kayama, will you marry me?"

The question was asked. The family all stared at them in anticipation. A drop of sweat dripped down from Sammy's forehead as the longest pause in his life began. He prayed and hoped that Mika would say yes.

But Mika looked from Darien to Serena, both who faked a happy smile for them. The seconds turned to a minute as she wondered about what had caused them to fake happiness. The same happiness that her parents had attempted to fake around family as well. How could she know that what happened to her parents and to Sammy's sister wouldn't happen to them too?

Faith.

She had to have faith.

Sammy's smile faltered slightly, more sweat beaded on his forehead, but then Mika wrapped his arms around him.

"Of course I will!" She said happily. Mika touched her dry forehead against Sammy's damp one, ignoring the condensation in order to kiss him on his lips. "I would love to marry you!"

_I thought it would be interesting to throw in the family dynamic. To show a little bit more of other relationships, to dive a little more into how Serena and Darien ended up together, because I've realized it's slightly complicated in my storyline. It may take a while to explain. Please tell me what you thought! Good, bad? I can handle it! -Natasha_


	8. Chapter 8

_Thank you, Artemis630, TropicalRemix, Princess Selina, Revy679, bluebutterfly2006, smfan4ever72, kireisnowtenshi, mryann, and SailorStar23 for reviewing the last chapter. To answer a question from one of you: Serena and Darien's relationship is complicated. They dated 5 years, been married for 1 year. Why do they celebrate both? Well, why not? Does the start of their relationship not have as much meaning as the beginning of their marriage? -Natasha_

**Chapter 8**

Andrew tapped his fingers against the wooden surface of his desk. Being so smooth, the desk tended to have papers slip and slide whenever Andrew moved them away to work on a different project or to type emails to his comrades in his field of work. He looked through the window in front of his work space, watching as white flurries floated slowly to the ground. With the view of Tokyo in front of him, shining brightly with lights from the buildings all around, he couldn't help but wonder where Serena was, and what she and Darien were doing together at that precise moment.

Andrew sighed, recalling Darien telling him about how every Christmas Eve he and Serena visited her family to open presents. Andrew and his family never really spent much time together during this time of year because according to his dad, these holidays are the same as any other day, and he didn't want to buy a bunch of junk because the stores tell him to do so. Instead, his parents would usually leave Andrew and his sister behind to do their own thing.

This year was no exception. Lizzie decided to go to her boyfriend's place to meet his family for the first time knowing not to expect anything from her own. Thus leaving Andrew to figure out what he wanted to do on his own. His parents had already made their own plans, deciding to spend their weekend gambling away at a casino with like-minded friends.

Andrew straightened his paperwork, reaching for loose leaflets that had made their way to his office floor. He piled them on his desk next to his cell phone, using a clip to hold them all together.

Andrew closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to leave work and do something fun and interesting with the rest of his night.

_"Dude, that totally sucks!" Darien sympathized with Andrew from under his face mask. "You could spend Christmas with us if you want. I'm sure Serena wouldn't mind."_

_Andrew washed his hands with soap and water, turning to Darien whose hands were also covered in suds. "What would we do? Would I need to bring presents or something?"_

_Darien laughed as he dried his hands with an air hand dryer. With a loud smack, neoprene surgical gloves covered his hands up to his elbows. "If you want, but we can just cook some frozen pizzas and hang out if you want. You know, keep it casual?"_

_"Right." Andrew paused, unsure of how to turn Darien down._

_"Don't decide now. Just call me if you decide you want to come."_

_Andrew nodded, though he knew it was unlikely he would interfere with another family's holiday._

_He turned, following Darien to the surgical table in the middle of the white room where a man lay unconscious. He picked up a thin knife, ready to perform the task necessary to save another life._

Andrew opened his eyes, the light of his lamp and computer screen causing him to blink. He dialed Darien's cell phone number. Even if he was intruding in on a family event, at least he had been invited.

…

His fingers felt like popsicle sticks. They shook in his thin gloves and Darien rubbed his hands together, creating a friction of heat in an attempt to warm them. He exhaled, trying to help with his warm breath, but instead he just created a fog out of the air instead.

Darien turned to the passenger seat of the car, letting his elbow rest on the steering wheel. Serena looked so beautiful with her pink nose, which ran only slightly from the cold. Even as he watched her sleeping so peacefully, Darien just couldn't bring himself to smile.

She only brought him pain.

He was tired of fighting. Every little thing turned into an argument between each other. It was as if they could love one another more than anything in this world, but still find each other so infuriating and disagreeable. Sometimes love didn't seem to be enough. They were too different, too unhappy, too imprisoned in their relationship.

Darien sensed the difference in Serena. After her brother proposed to Mika earlier that night, something in her had shifted. He noticed the watery eyes, thankful that no one else had. Her parents had been too preoccupied holding their new daughter in law and welcoming her into their family. Still, he had noticed, and it pained him to know that Serena was unhappy at all, regardless of the reason.

His cellphone went off in his pocket. The jingling sound annoyed him. He wanted to throw the damn thing out the window and pretend it never made a sound, but he felt obligated to respond.

Darien flipped his screen and saw Andrew was the one calling. He answered his phone, leaving the car, and quietly shutting his door behind him.

"What's going on, man?" Darien asked, covering his ears and phone with his hands. The wind blew snow in his hair and face.

"Not much, I was just wondering if your invitation for dinner at your place was still open?" Andrew asked.

Darien looked back at his sleeping wife and child, safely tucked in the car, right outside of his apartment. It wasn't that late. "Yeah, of course it is."

"That's great, something about frozen pizzas right now sounds amazing." Andrew said.

"Not to mention my mother in law's homemade cookies."

"I am so there!" Andrew asked, "Apartment 43, right?"

"Yeah."

The phone went dead.

Darien returned to his car, going round to the back to unlatch the newborn car seat. He gave Serena's shoulder a nudge to wake her up. She didn't wake, so he nudged her once more, harder this time.

Serena jerked awake, twisting her head in his direction. "What do you want?"

She looked around, realizing that they were still in the car. Memories of Sammy's engagement rushed to mind, making her flush. She sniffed her nose, reaching for her purse on the car's floor next to her feet, and opening the door to let herself out.

"You're welcome for not letting you freeze." Darien remarked, reaching for her hand. She slapped his hand away, still wanting nothing to do with him after the incident at the hotel. "Why do you always pretend we're okay when other people are around, Serena?"

"Why do you?" She snapped, quickening her pace to the apartment complex doors. "Ever heard of the phrase pot meet kettle?"

"Well maybe I want to stop ignoring the obvious and try to resolve this." Darien grabbed Serena's shoulder, turning her to face him. "The only question is do you? Do you want to try?"

Serena's hardened glare softened. She looked up at him, memorizing every curve and angle that made up his handsome face. But she didn't want to talk about this. She didn't want to think about these things. Serena just wanted to hide instead. It was just too hard.

"Can we talk about this later?" She asked, waiting for Darien to release her.

Darien rolled his eyes. This was beginning to get old for him. He was getting tired of asking her to try to fix things. Maybe it would be easier to just pretend that nothing was wrong, no matter how untrue it was.

He let her go. "Serena, I have a friend coming over shortly."

Serena clenched her jaw before saying, "Why am I not surprised?"

It just figured that on the one day he was pretty much guaranteed a day off that he would have a friend come over, and only an hour before Christmas. The only consolation would be if it was the guy from the party who had smiled at her and seemed to know enough about her to be her friend too. "Who is it?"

"Andrew."

…

Melted snow dribbled down the shoulders of Andrew's winter jacket until they hit the carpeted floor outside of Darien's apartment door. Andrew stood, nervous about seeing Darien's wife again, and yet his heart raced with excitement. He needed to see her again. All these feelings he had never felt before meeting her was exhilarating.

Andrew knocked on the door, waiting patiently when he heard Serena's voice on the other side. He heard the top lock unlatch, and the bottom before the doorknob turned. He stopped breathing for a split second as he took in all Serena's golden curls, her eyes, her pink lips. His chest felt numb as if he had put all this weight on it, making it fall asleep.

She smiled at him, her heart skipping a beat at the sight of him. Serena remember everything she felt at the party, and for once, she didn't think she would have to pretend to have a good time at home. "Why don't you come in?"

Andrew nodded, and when Serena walked back into her apartment leaving the door ajar for him, Andrew took a deep breath. He fought down the emotions he felt for Serena with a hammer in his head. He reminded himself of how wrong these emotions were. She is Darien's wife.

He entered the apartment, waving to Darien who pulled a pepperoni pizza from the oven. Darien placed the pan on the stove top and waved Andrew in. "Hey Drew, you hungry?"

At the sight of Serena and the realization that he would never have a chance, Andrew didn't feel like eating much. He felt like acid would build up in his stomach and come up his throat with his food if he ate, but considering a huge part of his reasoning for coming over was the pizza, he asked for a slice anyways.

"Thanks, Darien."

Darien grabbed his and Serena's plate, leading Andrew into the living room where Serena sat on the couch feeding Rini. A Christmas tree stood tall beside the couch smelling richly of pine. Andrew reached into his pocket, pulling out two flat boxes with Serena and Darien's names labeled on them.

"I figured I would bring something. That's why it took me so long to get here."

Darien asked, "Where did you find a place open at this hour?"

"Yeah, you didn't have to do that." Serena interjected, placing Rini on the floor beside them.

"Actually, I had already bought these. I just had to go to my apartment from the hospital to bring them over." Andrew handed the gifts to Serena and Darien. "I just hope that you like them. I wasn't sure what to buy for either of you."

Darien opened his box, finding a gift card to the Game Center Crown. He looked up at Andrew confused. "I don't get it."

Andrew laughed. "My family owns the arcade and the parlor above it. The thing I know best about you is how much coffee you drink, and we just so happen to have the best in town!"

Darien looked at the gift card skeptically, noting the fifty dollar amount on the card, and thinking about how he would probably just pass it over to Serena later on. She was into all the game stuff, and quite frankly, he wanted to enjoy coffee in peace, not around a bunch of kids yelling about how they lost a video game.

"Okay, my turn now!" Serena exclaimed, snapping the box open. She gasped at what she found inside. "This is so cute!"

Darien leaned over, trying to see what Andrew bought for Serena. Serena took a thin sterling silver chain out of the box, shaking it so then a matching silver bunny charm could dangle down to the middle. She clasped it around her neck, touching the charm with her fingertips, and smiling. It was only when she hugged Andrew, thanking him for the necklace that Darien felt uncomfortable.

"Thank you!" She said excitedly. Andrew sat awkwardly, secretly enjoying the hug, but when Serena pulled away he was relieved.

Darien decided to make nothing of it. After all, Andrew hadn't done anything in response. Serena always got excited over gifts during Christmas, so he shouldn't have been surprised. 'Maybe it's just the lack of sex.' Darien thought to himself, shaking his head.

"Thanks, Andrew." Darien said.

"No problem. It's nice to have friends to exchange gifts with."

"I'm sorry I didn't think to buy you anything."

"If Darien had told me you were going to come over, I would have bought something." Serena said defensively, infuriated with her husband for not only not telling her Andrew was coming over until the last minute, but also that it was around a time when people would feel obligated to bring a present.

Andrew felt disappointed, but only slightly. He did decide to come over last minute after all. "It's okay. I wasn't expecting anything. Just your company."

Serena paused, noticing how Andrew looked directly at her during his last sentence. She turned, picking up Rini, hiding the pink stained blush on her cheeks.

Maybe she was just fishing for clues showing that maybe Andrew liked her too, but she just couldn't shake the feeling Andrew must be feeling this too. It couldn't just be her who felt something...right?

"Maybe Darien and I can take you out for lunch or something." Serena suggested, when her face didn't feel so hot, she faced the men again, letting Rini sit on her knee. "I'll give you my number so we can set things up."

_Darien and Serena are still having difficulties with their relationship, but Darien has opened the door to introduce another male into her life. The attraction is becoming a little more obvious between Serena and Andrew. Will Darien actually notice that this is something more than just friendship? Let me know what you think! -Natasha_


	9. Chapter 9

_So, I'm still moving in with family, but it's been a slow process with my injury and the entire family being sick. According to my physical therapist my hips are mostly realigned, but my spine is still fractured according to my recent x-rays. At least it's a stable fracture and not getting worse. Either way, everyone is asleep and so...I wish to write! Thank you to smfan4ever21, Revy679, LoveInTheBattleField, SailorStar23, and Princess Selina. Your reviews mean so much to me. I absolutely love getting them because they make me just itch to pick up a piece of paper and write! -Natasha_

**Chapter 9**

Serena toyed with the silver charm hanging from her neck. She twisted it, letting the chain tangle together and wrap around itself until there was only a small gap between her throat and the cord. Dropping the pendant so it landed on her chest, Serena leaned over her math assignment with her pencil, erasing another answer she knew was wrong. There was nothing more frustrating to her than trying to recall the basic math formulas that for some reason, she just couldn't remember. Instead, all the girl could think about was Andrew and his gift. She wondered why he was invading her every thought.

Why was he the only thing on her mind?

"Shake it off," Serena whispered to herself. She dropped the writing utensil on her notebook. Her hands gripped the library table, pressing them against it to aid her in rising from her seat. Serena left her school bag behind to walk down an aisle of books. Her eyes scanned over books about angsty teen romances like _Twilight_,_ The Vampire Diaries_, and even _The Immortal Instruments_. Her fingers brushed over the bindings of The Lunar Chronicles books titled_ Cinder_,_ Scarlet_, and _Cress_ by Marissa Meyer.

Personally, Serena had never read these books, believing them to all to be childish and meant for teenagers who didn't understand what true love was. After all, why would you read about romance if you already had it? Now though, Serena's last thought was that she had the romance in her relationship with Darien she had always believed they had. Instead she found herself yearning for the feelings girls claimed that the main characters found in these stories. First loves, true loves. A love so strong, burning, and heart melting that the female protagonists just couldn't bear to part from their lover. She wanted that. No. She _needed_ it. She just didn't think she'd ever find it.

That is… until Andrew came along.

A huge ball of knots rolled around in Serena's stomach, making her stop in her tracks. She used the tips of her fingers to touch her forehead, feeling a headache coming on, and used her other arm to wrap around her stomach. She felt ill.

She didn't want to hurt Darien, but... she wanted Andrew. She had to learn everything about him because she knew that if she didn't, it would be a mistake.

…

Sammy and Mika huddled under a black blanket his mother had crocheted for him. A week had passed since Sammy had proposed, and still yet, all they could do was kiss, and touch, and do unspeakable things under his blankets. They had whispered sweet words to one another, and Mika's fingers had been delicate as she grazed them against his shoulders.

But tonight would be different.

Mika's mind had gone wild, spinning stories about her fiance's sister and brother in law that she could only imagine to be true. As Sammy nipped at Mika's fingertips, kissing up her hand, and up her arm too, she whispered, "Serena."

Sammy paused, looking up at her, the passion he felt just seconds before fizzing away. "Did you just say my sister's name?"

Mika laughed at the irony of it, realizing how she must have bruised his fragile ego.

"Here I was, getting ready to make the moves on you, and you go and say my sister's name!"

_His ego is definitely bruised_ she decided.

Sammy rolled his eyes at her, wrapping his arms around her once more. He threw the two of them back on the queen sized bed, and turned to face her. " Tell me what's going on inside that head of yours."

Mika took a deep breath. It hadn't been very long that she and Sammy had dated, and she had only met his family once, but she knew something was wrong. This wasn't the kind of thing you normally mentioned. It seemed like gossiping. Well, scratch that. It is gossiping.

"It's just that, it was so obvious that something was wrong, and I just felt like the only one who noticed."

Sammy gawked at her, his hands grasping hers, as he failed to hide how startled he was. "I think a little context would help me out here, Mika."

Mika rolled her eyes. She was right, only one person had noticed that night, and it certainly was not Sammy. Her mind wandered as she tried to figure out how to phrase her findings delicately.

"Serena and Darien...they look just like my mom and dad did before well…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Are you saying my sister is about to dump Darien?" Sammy jumped away from his fiancée, unable to believe what he was hearing. "They just had a baby! They have money and Darien has a great job and…"

Mika sighed.

Sammy couldn't stop his hands from shaking as he thought of the past.

"And...they've always been complicated…" Sammy's face fell when he came to the realization. He couldn't be mad at either one. He loved both his sister and her husband. "They've always had problems, but it was just so much easier to ignore them."

Mika rushed to his side, rubbing his arm. "Ignoring the problem is what causes it all to come crashing down, but by then...it's already too late."

…

The ripped piece of paper slipped back and forth between Andrew's fingers. Serena's number was embedded on it in ink. He picked up his phone and then put it back in his pocket again.

He had forbidden himself from calling her, but the temptation was there, written clearly in her swirly and girlish handwriting. Andrew opened the folded piece of paper, grinning at the little hearts his crush had so carefully scribbled in the lower cased e's of her name. He held her number in his hands, and he was ashamed.

_Why am I ashamed?_ he wondered. Somehow he was remorseful of something he'd not done. It wasn't as if Andrew was planning to dishonor Darien and Serena's marriage. Besides, even if Serena met him for lunch, it wasn't as if she was being unfaithful.

He picked up his phone, rationalizing calling her in his mind. As long as they didn't sleep together, she wasn't cheating, and he wasn't betraying Darien in any way. So long as there was no intent of hurt, Andrew was doing no wrong.

He dialed her number.

…

Darien knocked at his mother in law's door, anxious for shelter from the cold. He didn't wait long, Ikuko answered the door within minutes.

"Darien!" Ikuko said warmly as Darien made his way inside. She gave him a hug after he peeled off a damp jacket and scarf.

"Mom," Darien acknowledged her, hugging her back. "Do you have a minute?"

They sat on the couch together, Ikuko turning to face him. As always, the smell of melted chocolate chips wafted from the kitchen, reminding him he would always have a home here. Darien looked around on the floor, searching for his baby who usually found herself surrounded by stuffed animals, but not today. He couldn't find Rini anywhere.

"Of course I do! The cookies have another six minutes and Rini's napping upstairs."

Darien sighed in relief.

Ikuko put her hand on his knee, looking at him with concern. "You never want to talk… is something the matter?"

"Why do you think something is wrong? I mean, maybe I just want to talk."

Ikuko held a gaze of motherly concern for him, and he looked away, feeling ashamed to have stirred that kind of emotion from her. "The last time you asked me for a minute Serena had thrown a fit over ice cream and pickles."

She laughed, reminiscing over Darien begging for help when her pregnant daughter burst into uncontrollable sobs over food. He had forgotten to slice the pickles into spears, not circles, and Serena raged because they tasted better as spears in ice cream.

"I thought she was possessed!" Darien defended.

"She was pregnant, Darien! Women always get crazy when they are pregnant."

Darien rolled his eyes, but broke down and smiled. Ikuko was the closest thing he had to a mother, and he desired her advice more than anything. He just didn't know how to approach it because Serena might get angry if he told her mother their marital problems.

"So, what is it?"

Darien pulled his knee away from her hand and turned to face the wall. He bent his head down, paying attention to the details of the grandfather clock in the hall. His voice barely audible over the ticking, he said, "Serena and I are falling apart, and I don't know what to do to fix it."

_Please Review! I love hearing your thoughts! What do you think Mika and Sammy will do? What will Ikuko say? What about Serena and Andrew? Let me know! -Natasha_


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you, freakblueangel, Revy679, Rin, hit60, Artemis630, bluebutteryfly2006, RoryRose, LoveInTheBattleField, Princess Selina, Torisha Tanako, and SailorStar23 for your reviews! :D_

**Chapter 10**

"I was a kid when she met Darien," Sammy reminisced, placing a large wooden spoon with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream in his mouth. He turned to Mika, gulping the ice cream down before saying, "He was like the big brother I never had."

Mika looked down at her fiance pathetically. She placed her hand on his hairy leg. Sammy had dressed down after he realized the marital status of his sister and brother-in-law, adorning himself with nothing but red boxers and a black silk robe. The scent of spice cake wavered under their noses from an orange candle on his mahogany dresser.

She didn't know what to say. Mika felt guilty, watching as her husband-to-be reduced down to a teenage girl who was trying to get over a breakup. She had caused this by bringing up what must have been one of his worst fears. Mika wanted to fix it. She just didn't know how.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mika suggested, snuggling under the blankets with him, and snatching the spoon from his hand. She licked a chocolate chip off the spoon, and dipped the utensil into the round Ben and Jerry's ice cream container. "You can tell me everything, you know."

It was a statement, not a question, more like a demand.

Sammy nodded solemnly. He pulled a tissue from the kleenex box on his lap, and blew his nose into it. He wished he wasn't so emotional over this, but Sammy felt like if Darien and Serena divorced he would lose a family member.

"I remember it like it was yesterday, Mika." He started, remembering his sister at fourteen desperately covering her blushing cheeks with her hands. "Serena was always complaining about this dude named Darien from the arcade… she seemed to hate him, and because of that, I thought he was awesome."

"Well, that sounds very brotherly of you." Mika chuckled, licking off another fix of sugary goodness.

Sammy smirked and nodded in agreement, "If only you knew. I drove my sister crazy."

"I believe it."

"Well, one day, Serena had come home admitting that she thought she might be falling in love with Darien to her friend Raye. I was so excited, because honestly, it gets lonely when you're dodging makeup and nail polish parties with your sister and her friends, you know?"

Mika nodded, but if she was being honest, she didn't have a clue what that was like being an only child. Still, she wanted to support Sammy, he had never opened up like this before. "Go on."

"I wanted someone to play video games and laser tag with. I wanted someone to help me trap snakes and cool looking spiders to scare Serena with." Sammy scratched the back of his neck, the idea of his adolescent self catching spiders in his hands making his skin crawl now. "I thought she might bring him around, that's what most fifteen year old girls do when they have a crush right?"

He stopped talking, peering intensely at the picture of Serena, Darien, and Rini on his dresser beside the candle. He stared at Darien's deep blue eyes, ignoring the rest of the picture. Ignoring his sister wearing a white sundress, and how she held Rini, who wore a matching dress, in her arms. He ignored Darien's admiring smile as he looked down at the two most important women in his life.

All Sammy could focus on was Darien's eyes as he murmured, "Darien was more complicated than that."

…

"What do you mean, 'you and Serena are falling apart?'" Ikuko asked, gasping into her hands with shock.

Darien's heart dropped into his stomach, and he felt as his body numbed, his skin prickling like needles. Darien had told her the truth, but he didn't know how to continue. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Ikuko's shock wore off, but only briefly to pick herself up off the couch. She'd known Darien since he was nineteen, and in the nearly thirteen years she'd known him and loved him like a son, she had never seen him so sad. His cerulean eyes looked lost, like a ship trying to make it to shore through a storm with waves tumbling and crashing into it, the water doing everything to submerge the vessel under it's salty surface. She noted the wrinkles in his skin. He had aged so much since the last time they had talked.

Her motherly instincts would have her wrap Darien up in one of her homemade quilts and tell him everything would be alright, but Darien was an adult; thirty-three years old and perfectly capable of doing that for himself. Ikuko wasn't sure if he wanted her to go all mother bear on him, cradling him like he was her baby cub in need of protection. From his expression though, it was clear Darien's heart was in need of some.

She almost didn't hear the chick timer she had left on the kitchen counter when it went off. It jingled and screamed for her, begging her to check on the chocolate chip cookies in the oven. Darien's mouth was still ajar, as if he were searching for the right words to say.

"Hold that thought, dear." Ikuko said, rushing to open the oven door in the next room.

Darien watched his mother-in-law as she went, his eyes following the imprints her feet made in the carpet. He noticed how her feet were small and dainty like Serena's.

"Serena," whispered Darien, and he looked down at his wedding ring. The gold metal had warmed against his skin long ago after years of wearing it. Simple. That was the only way he could describe the ring, at least on the outside. On the inside, Serena had their names inscribed, forever looping around and intertwining around the year they had married: 2011. Only last year. Why had he waited so long to give her that? Why did he make her wait so long to marry him only to disappoint her and ruin everything in the end?

He felt his mouth dry up like leaves crackling up before winter began. He could imagine the Autumn leaves losing all their moisture, becoming stiff and lifeless. Darien heard Ikuko's footsteps though, and looked up when a plate full of cookies were placed on his lap. His mother-in-law pried his left hand open, pushing a hot cup of dark coffee in his palm.

"Now, tell me everything that happened," Ikuko reinitiated their conversation, picking up where Darien had left off.

Darien glanced at Ikuko, hardly noticing when she brushed her curly blue hair back. It had grayed over the years, but she went on dyeing it so then she always appeared young. She would appear that way too, he thought, if it weren't for the wrinkles and sags in her chin and cheeks.

"It all began when Serena got pregnant with Rini," He said, continuing with a look at the silver watch on his wrist. "She was always complaining about time."

"Time?" Ikuko asked gently, looking down at his watch as well.

"The time that I spent at work."

…

The time on Serena's pink watch changed to four o clock. She sat at a bistro table outside one of her favorite sandwich shops, 'Sandoitchi'. The cold of the silver metal from the table brushing against her skin made her shiver. She turned the page of her textbook, attempting to focus on her equations, but she was always so horrible at math; an unfortunate circumstance considering her career choice.

Her mother was babysitting Rini so then she could focus on her schoolwork, but still, Serena would rather look at the other people sitting in their seats and enjoying their meals in the fresh air. Spring was on it's way, the snow had melted since Christmas. The pools of water that had collected in the cracks of sidewalks, and in dips of the road were all but gone. Soon, she'd be able to go on picnics and enjoy the sun instead of wrapping herself tight with layers and layers of thick fabrics to keep warm.

Andrew was meeting her here though. She would see him again, and it was almost easy to ignore the goosebumps on her skin from the light wind that blew across her cheeks. Seeing Andrew would make the cold worth it. Seeing Andrew would make a few incomplete assignments nothing to be concerned about.

She caught a glimpse of golden hair from the sidewalk, and then green eyes. Andrew was here, she realized. She picked up her assignments, calculator, and pencils, pushing them into her bag. Serena straightened up her posture, making sure her pink blouse was aligned correctly. She didn't want to look like some hooker trying to sell the goods. She flattened the pendant of the necklace he had given her against her throat, so then Andrew would know that she cherished it, and then placed her hand on a gift bag sitting next to her chair on the ground.

Andrew waved to Serena, and his heart melted at the sight of her. Her blonde hair pooling from two buns on the top of her head with black bows clipped in front of them, her smile so large and bright as she kept her arms wrapped tight around her large winter jacket...she was almost too much for him to take in.

Taking his place at the seat across from her, Andrew picked up the black and white menu to read. He let his eyes meet hers from over the menu, and they just stared at one another. Finally, he stopped letting his nerves get the best of him and said, "Thanks for meeting me."

Glimpsing down at her ring briefly, she cursed herself inside for being taken by Darien. Her anxiety, her heart racing, all the dreamy thoughts Serena had been having for Andrew, it was all for not. She was married to someone else, and she even had a daughter. What she had worked up to be a date wasn't one Serena had to keep reminding herself.

Still, she had no self control, and couldn't contain her flirtatious tone, "My pleasure."

A waitress with a slight jump of excitement walked up to their table. She teetered back and forth on her feet, anxious to take their order. "My name is Carrie, and I'll be your waitress today! Can I get you any beverages or would you like to hear the specials?"

Serena looked down at the menu, looking over the options for wraps, sandwiches, and sides. After a couple of moments, she decided on the cranberry chicken wrap. Andrew chose the jalapeño popper grilled cheese sandwich.

"And a bottle of your finest red wine," Andrew added, smiling brightly at Serena.

The waitress half skipped away as she quickened her pace to the kitchens inside. Carrie seemed to really love her job, Serena thought to herself.

"Andrew, I brought you something." Serena handed him the gift bag, watching as he dug his hands into the green tissue paper. "It's the Christmas gift you should have gotten two weeks ago."

He opened an red envelope, revealing a stereotypical christmas card with a picture of a village covered in snow on the front.

"Happy Holidays!" was written in large italic font inside, and underneath, Serena had signed the card. Andrew couldn't help but notice that Darien's name wasn't beside hers.

"Darien didn't sign?" Andrew asked, frowning.

Serena shrugged. "He never has time for those things with work."

"I do." Andrew's feelings were hurt, but he put the card down, and dug through the tissue paper once more. He lifted a black t-shirt out, and read the text on the front aloud, " If this shirt doesn't smell bad, I'm not gaming hard enough!"

Beaming proudly, Serena exclaimed, "I figured the son of an Arcade owner could appreciate the humor in that."

Andrew never played video games anymore, but he could recall the days in middle school where he wouldn't shouldn't shower more than once a week. He laughed anyways.

Carrie arrived with the wine. She dutifully poured the purple liquid into each flute glass, before retreating to serve a couple a few feet away.

Andrew lifted his glass, and Serena lifted hers. The tension of attraction seemed only to grow between them as they stared at one another. Andrew noted how he could feel the her hand move the table, if only slightly. He nearly felt the warmth of her fingertips against his when she reached for a napkin. His heart fluttered.

Breaking the trance, Andrew suggested, "To a new friendship!"

Serena felt her heart sink, but she obliged, "To a new friendship!"

They clinked their glasses, and Serena changed the conversation. "You know, there's something else besides a nerdy t-shirt in there!"

"There is?" Andrew asked, his eyes widening at her. He joked, "And here I thought for sure that was the only thing I would get from a married woman!"

Serena felt sick at the mention of Darien. This was nothing. They were doing nothing wrong. Sure, she was skipping out on school work and taking care of her kid to hang out with a guy, but they were just friends. Andrew made that clear before. Not that she was planning anything anyways…

But deep down, she knew she wanted more.

…

"They didn't start actually dating until Serena turned seventeen, but they were always on and off." Sammy stated matter of fact.

Mika rolled her eyes. "Were they not sure if they loved each other or something?"

"Nah, that wasn't it at all."

They had long finished the tub of ice cream, and the container had ended up in the trash can next to the bookshelf. Numerous medical and pharmaceutical textbooks lined each shelf. It was as if Sammy had never heard of reading the occasional fiction novel, Mika thought to herself.

"Then what was the problem?"

Sammy sighed, realizing Darien had never really been fair to Serena to begin with. "Darien would have things come up all the time. At first, he was busy with his college exams, and another time he needed space to focus on his studies. Hell, he even moved to America for a couple of years to study at Harvard!"

Mika slapped her hand to her mouth. Serena had waited a long time for Darien to get his act together, hadn't she? She couldn't imagine being in love with a guy since she was fourteen, only to find out that said guy was in love with his career more than her.

"I don't even think they became a couple until Serena turned twenty three," added Sammy offhandedly. "He was always there for holidays, and any big events like graduations or birthday parties."

"Sammy, that's…" Mika was lost for words. To be haunted by your crush for so long, and never given the opportunity to get over them, it sounded terrible. "That's disgusting!"

Sammy shook his head in annoyance. Mika didn't know Darien had been an orphan. "He had no family of his own. His parents died when he was little. We were his family."

"Which gives him the right to treat the only girl he's ever loved like garbage?" Mika protested.

"Well, no...but…"

"It sounds like Serena has every right to leave, and I haven't heard her reason yet."

And although Sammy hated to admit it, Mika was right.

…

"Can I ask you something, Darien?" Ikuko asked when her son-in-law finished explaining everything to her. She felt sad when he told her about the two of them sleeping in separate bedrooms, about the fighting, how he abandoned her and Rini at a hotel by herself for a couple of days. It was wrong.

Darien shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Mom always had a way of asking the questions that made you feel like you should be ashamed of yourself. He braced himself for the question.

"You've spent all this time focusing on your career, and Serena's goals have always taken the backseat. Don't you think she deserves the chance to achieve what she wants to after cheering you on all these years?"

_And that's it for chapter 10! Let me know what you think! -Natasha_


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